The first portal commitment of the offseason for Vermont comes from Gus Yalden, a 6' 9", 260 lb forward from Appleton, WI. The Cats have been looking to add a big on the portal over the past few off-seasons and they have found their guy in Yalden, who has three years of eligibility left. Yalden has had quite a circuitous journey on his way to arriving at Vermont. Early in high school, he drew major power 5 interest and was rated as a 4 star prospect. He then went to IMG Academy (FL) where he struggled through foot injuries. Then after stops at the Asheville School (NC) and La Lumiere (IN), he committed to play basketball for his hometown Wisconsin Badgers. I remember following his recruitment at the time because he played for the Albany City Rocks AAU team and Vermont had expressed some interest. He red-shirted his freshman year at Wisconsin and ran into a few off-court issues. After the season he transferred to Seton Hall where he played 8 minutes a game across 26 games. Yalden comes to Vermont with a tremendous opportunity to step in a play a big role for the Catamounts. There were a few things I remember when following his recruitment. One was I thought the "Gus Bus" nickname was awesome and there was also a lot of "Baby Jokic" talk about his style of play. Being compared to the greatest basketball player of all time is a big swing but it gives an impression of how diversified his game is at his size. I love the fit at Vermont. Minutes are plentiful and he has a well rounded game. Watching interviews with Yalden, he describes himself as a "glue guy" who can do a bit of everything to help his team. He has a true back to the basket game, finishing with both hands around the hoop. He has a nice shooting touch on a little one-legged turn around and could develop into a good outside shooter. Yalden shines as a passer and is capable of playing off the dribble. He also plays with a ton of personality and fire. This is the type of post scorer the Vermont coaching staff has been searching for and Yalden gets a chance to prove himself at the college level. I think about how Ileri Ayo-Faleye had similarly red-shirted and not played much before coming to Vermont (also with 3 years remaining). The coaching staff was able to unlock his potential and he became a great player. This is a really good start to the offseason and gives the Cats some recruiting momentum as they reload. The America East will be more wide open than ever next season and adding Yalden to the returning group of guards is a great start. So excited to see the roster take shape!!
